Southern Sophistication: Our Guide to Charleston, South Carolina
Outdoor Attractions with Coastal Charm
When you hear South Carolina referred to as “the low country,” don’t think it an insult. It simply describes the area’s unique geography, a kind of coastal swamp typified by reedy lowlands, towering oaks draped with Spanish moss and heart-achingly beautiful stretches of coast. So when you want to get out and breathe the salt-laced air, Charleston is the perfect place to be.
Aquatic Escapades
Kayaking or paddleboarding the marshes. Saltwater fishing. Bird-watching. You won’t find it hard to enjoy the outdoors here. With coveted kudos from National Geographic, Charleston Outdoor Adventures offers all of the above, as well as a fossil hunting tour that kids and young teens will love.
Coastal Expeditions will take you paddling to the Isle of Palms, Bulls Island Ferry and Shem Creek. This outfitter even provides guided dolphin tours where you’ll get up close and personal with Flipper, just so long as the adorable wild mammals cooperate. Meanwhile, Sandlapper Water Tours will teach tots all about the water life you’ll find in Charleston Harbor and take you shelling.
If you’d rather enjoy a spot of fishing while keeping your feet on terra firma, drop a line in at Folly Beach Pier or just prop up an umbrella at the beach itself. You could drive 30 miles south to Kiawah Island to see all the natural beauty of a low country barrier island. Great golfing, decent surfing (for the east coast, at least) and plenty of unblemished wilderness await.
Then there’s the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which connects Charleston to Mount Pleasant. It’s two-and-a-half-mile length makes for a picturesque — if somewhat lengthy — walk.
Plantation Paradise
One can hardly mention the natural surroundings of Charleston without bringing up plantations. Yes, they represent a dark era in America. As simple pieces of property, though, they’re undeniably gorgeous and major Charleston attractions. Multiple media outlets have praised the beauty of Boone Hall, a plantation that has continually grown crops for over three centuries.
It’s such a lovely area to walk that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively chose it as the site for their wedding.
Boasting a river boat tour of rice fields, a nature train, Sunday-morning bird-watching walks and an extensive garden, it’s no wonder that Magnolia Plantation bears the slogan of “Charleston’s Most Visited Plantation.”
And speaking of gardens, did you know that tea grows remarkably well in the low country? Well, you soon will if you visit the Charleston Tea Plantation. Located on Wadmalaw Island, the plantation contains a farm, a greenhouse, a production facility and a tour that takes tons of interested visitors through all of it.
Fun for Young Families
Young families will particularly want to take advantage of Charleson, South Carolina points of interest that revolve around the outdoors. Located about a dozen miles from downtown proper, Isle of Palms sits sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, a broad waterway separating the barrier island from the mainland.
Stroll down the pier, frolic on the beach or hit up the playground (which has the added bonus of a clean public bathroom). If you don’t want to take a paddling tour to Shem Creek, your clan may still enjoy lounging by the waterway and watching the shrimp boats come and go.
The bustle of downtown getting to be too much? White Point Garden sits right on the tip of Oyster Point near the Calhoun Mansion. Finally, when hunger beckons after all that activity, consider booking a dessert tour with Culinary Tours of Charleston to top off the day.
